AmpLit Fest 2017

We've got readings, performances, discussions, workshops, and more!

Moosiki Kids

12 - 12:45 p.m.

We're kicking off the festival with singing and storytelling from Moosiki Kids! Laura Nupponen and her team will spin yarns, strum guitars, and get you on your feet! A great way to start the day!

Emerging Writers Showcase

12:45 - 1:45 p.m.

At AmpLit, we're dedicated to giving writers at all stages of their careers time in the spotlight, including emerging talents. This showcase will feature 6 new voices sharing exciting new works. Join us to see the latest and greatest up-and-coming talents in the city! Hosted by Laura Esther Wolfson.

Kids' Writers Workshop

1:00 - 2:00 p.m.

We want to encourage the next Shakespeare, Harper Lee, or Toni Morrison to keep at it! At this workshop, kids ages 5 - 14 are invited to spend some time writing under the guidance of a writer and teacher. During this hour, we’ll read example texts, offer some writing tips, and then get to it with prompts and exercises. Bring your budding Baudelaire to us! Workshop led by Miranda K. Pennington.

Katie Kitamura

Reading and Interview

2:00 - 3:15 p.m.

A book hailed as "mysterious," "spellbinding," "a novel of quiet power," A Separation details a woman's quest to find her missing, unfaithful husband. As her suspenseful search forges on, an age-old question surfaces for her and for readers: how well can we really know other people? After reading an excerpt of the novel, Katie Kitamura will sit down with Clare Smith Marash to discuss the book and her life as a writer.

Writers' Workshop

2:30 - 3:30 p.m.

Whether you’re a professional or amateur, the two most difficult things to find as a writer are time to work and an audience to give feedback. We’ve got both! Join writer Madeline Felix for a multifaceted workshop where you’ll get a chance to discuss the craft of writing before getting the juices flowing through prompts and exercises. You’ll walk away with new inspiration, if not a whole new piece in your hands!

Literary Citizenship: The Writer's Identity

3:15 - 4:15 p.m.

As writers, we face the tension between a desire to withdraw during creation versus a desire to join a community. With the rise of the term "literary citizenship," writers too are faced with pressure to participate in writing communities in a myriad of ways - attending readings, buying books, exchanging facebook likes and retweets. In this panel, we will investigate the connection between who you are and what you write -- when does identity guide your work, and when does it overshadow, and is this a good thing? What obligation does the writer have as a representative? How does identity play into the literary community(-ies) we participate in, and is this compartmentalizing, a refuge, both, or neither? We'll look at what it means to be a literary citizen in NYC, in America, and globally (and maybe all 3, at once!). Is it possible that the idea of literary citizenship stifles more than it supports writers? This panel is moderated by Katie Longofono, featuring Jayson P. Smith, Joanna C. Valente, and Wendy Lu.

Summer Reads

4:15 - 4:15 p.m.

Look no further for your 2017 summer reading list. At Summer Reads, we've curated for you a best-of list of recently published or soon-to-be published gems that will keep you steeped in literary luxury through September. Come hear sneak peeks from John Haskell (The Complete Ballet), Emily Holleman (The Drowning King),Nathan McClain (Scale), and Jeannie Vanasco (The Glass Eye). Hosted by Clare Smith Marash and Sarah Sala.

Lit Lounge

12 - 5:15 p.m.

With the help of the Uni Project's mobile library, the Lit Lounge will offer a passive, comfortable, and inviting space to write, read, and engage with Writopia and Writer’s Rock’s jars of writing prompts and game starters. Writopia and Writer’s Rock will also host two workshops throughout the day: family memoir and college essay writing.